RESEARCH COUNCIL ON STRUCTURAL

CONNECTIONS
Educational Bulletin No. 5

THE EFFECT OF BURRS ON THE SHEAR CAPACITY OF BOLTED

CONNECTIONS

Small burrs will form around drilled and/or punched holes even when
equipment is in good condition and the equipment operator is experienced
and attentive. That is, burrs are inherently associated with all hole making
methods. Burrs may extend above the plate surface by as little as several
thousandths of an inch or as much as a tenth of an inch or more. Questions
are raised from time to time regarding the effect of burrs upon the
performance of connections, both bearing type and slip-critical type.

Bearing Connections

The 1994 edition of Specification for Structural Joints Using ASTM A325 or
A490 Bolts (Section 3 (b)) does not require removal of burrs which extend
1/16 in. Or less above the plate surface for connections which are not slip-
critical. The 1994 edition retains the earlier requirement in Section 8(c) that
bolts in connections that are not slip critical be tightened to the snug tight
condition, and retains the definition of snug tight as the tightness that exists
when the plies of the joint are in firm contact. However, the definition of snug
tight in Section 8(d) has been clarified by the addition of the direct statement
that it is not necessary to have all plies of a joint in continuous contact. The
modifications to Sections 3(b) and 8(d) are in recognition of the fact that plies
of a joint can be in firm contact with being in contact at every point.

Surface contact and bolt tension do not effect the ultimate capacity of a
connection. In a recently completed research project, burrs ranging in height
from 0.0 to 0.176 in. were intentionally produced by out-of-specification
punching (See AISC Spec. M2.5) of 13/16 in. diameter holes in 1-in. plate.
The plates were used to build 45 four-ply connections. The 3/4 in. ASTM A325
bolt/nut fastener assemblies were tightened only to the finger tight condition.
In some test specimens, gaps larger than 1/8 in. could be seen between the
plates and the nuts could not be brought flush with the end of the bolts by
finger tightening. In spite of the extremely poor fit-up and negligible bolt
tension, the average bolt shear strength of all connections tested was 82.0
ksi. with bolt shear strength on individual connections ranging from 69.7 to
93.9 ksi. The nominal capacity listed for A325 bolts in the Specification is 60
ksi. This capacity is based upon tests of joints free of burrs which exhibited an
average bolt shear capacity of 80.1 ksi. The recently completed tests clearly
demonstrate that it is not necessary to remove burrs to achieve ultimate
capacities compatible with design values listed in the Specification.

Slip-Critical Connections

Unlike bearing capacity of connections, the slip capacity of a connection is

highly dependent upon bolt tension and the quality of contact between faying
surfaces. The Specification, in Section 3(b), requires the removal of burrs that
would prevent solid seating of the connected parts in the snug tight condition
for all slip-critical connections. However, as mentioned above, snug tight is not
to be interpreted as requiring continuous contact between connected parts.
Slip capacity is dependent upon the slip coefficient of the faying surfaces and
the total contact force between the surfaces, not upon the area of contact.

In the research program described above, in addition to bearing tests,

separate tests were conducted to determine the effect of burrs on the slip
capacity of connections. The results of tests on 180 single-bolt connections
and 60 four-bolt connections demonstrated that, with fully tensioned bolts,
small burrs actually increased the slip load. As burr height was increased, slip
load increased to a maximum at burr height of 1/16 in. When burr height was
further increased, slip load decreased until the slip load for 1/8 in. burrs was
approximately the same as for faying surfaces with no burrs.

Although the slip load is not adversely affected by burrs in the connection, the
presence of large burrs in a connection makes it more difficult to achieve
proper tension in all bolts. Since the slip load is dependent upon the total
contact force between the plies (equal to the sum of the bolt tensions in the
connection), low tension in any of the bolts can lead to reduced slip capacity.

The Specification requires that for all tightening techniques, the bolts shall first
be brought to the snug tight condition by progressively tightening bolts
systematically from the most rigid part of the joint to the free edges until all
bolts are uniformly snug tight. Final tightening also must progress
systematically from the most rigid part of the joint to the free edges. The
Specification also states that proper tensioning may require more than a
single cycle of systematic tightening. The required process is necessary
because each time a bolt is tightened, it compresses material under
previously tightened adjacent bolts and thus reduces the final total tension in
the connection. The more rigid the material under the bolts, the less the
material will be compressed by subsequently tightened bolts and the smaller
will be the decrease in total bolt tension.

Burrs cause the material within the grip of a bolt to be more compressible.
Therefore, more cycles of tightening are required to achieve uniform bolt
tension when burrs are present. The research described above, each bolt in
the connections was tightened 1/4 turn per tightening cycle. In specimens with
the smallest burrs, the burrs were flattened by the snugging operation. The
amount of final tightening rotation required to achieve the proper tension was
essentially the same as if no burr existed. In the specimens with the largest
burrs, one and one-half turns past snug tight were commonly required to
achieve the proper uniform bolt tension (the Specification calls for one-half
turn for the bolt length and diameter that was used in the tests). An
incremental approach, as used in the tests, is necessary with calibrated
wrench, direct tension indicator and tension control bolt tensioning method to
achieve the proper bolt tension with acceptable uniformity. Proper tension can
be achieved using the turn-of-nut method when the material contains only
small burrs which are flattened during the snugging operation. Proper
tensioning using turn-of-nut method, as specified, cannot be achieved with
joints containing larger burrs because the number of turns required changes
with burr size and stiffness.

Conclusions

The test program confirmed the appropriateness of the provisions of

the Specification for Structural Joints Using ASTM A325 or A490 Bolts.

In answer to the question posed in the first paragraph of this bulletin, burrs are
not detrimental to the performance of bearing connection. If burrs are present
in slip-critical connections, extra attention is required to assure proper bolt
tension. The level of extra attention varies with the size of the burr. If the burrs
are so small that they are flattened during the snugging, it is not necessary
that they be removed, and not extra attention is required. If they are so large
that they significantly complicate the tightening procedure and call to question
the tension achieved in the bolts, inspectors must verify that the installation
crews are taking the time to progressively tighten the bolts as required by the
Specification.